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APRIL 15, 2016 April 15-21, 2016
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Stafford High Cost to rename Godwin sparks new debate to return to AGENTS OF CHANGE
Jill PalermO
jpalermo@princewilliamtoday.com
T
he Prince William School Board is turning the page on its controversial decision to rename Mills E. Godwin Middle School, in part because of the late governor’s segregationist views. The next chapter: how to pay for it.
By next school year, the 46-year-old Dale City middle school will be named for George M. Hampton, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and philanthropist whose military and community service inspired his supporters to lobby the board to honor his legacy. The board’s March 2 decision to rename
Godwin for Hampton was initially a surprise proposal offered as part of a compromise that also named a new county elementary school for fallen Prince William firefighter Kyle Wilson. Amid accusations that board members acted too abruptly and failed to seek community input for their initial vote,
the school board revisited the decision April 6, but voted again to affirm its initial decision. TRACY BELL Now the school board must decide what Stafford County Sun to spend on changes needed to rename he Stafford the school, which County could School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to name cost as much as $529,000, reduce Stafford High School’s paGe 7 according to a staff report current plus-10-minute schedule
normal schedule
T New life for Evergreen Manor
that resulted from needing to make up hours it lost. The school started its year behind instructional time compared to the county’s other schools, due to delayed construction of its new school building. In November, the school board voted to start the SHS day 10 minutes earlier, at 7:30devotes a.m., in order to help make up A local builder his time the time. and resources to saving a nearly SHS will resume its customary 7:40 a.m. 200-year-old home starting in the April shadow start schedule 25, according to the school board’s vote Tuesday. of the Bull Run mountains Also at the meeting, the school board: aileen m. streng ■ talked about the potential redisastreng@princewilliamtoday.com tricting of about 45 students in the APU 188 England Run area from Ferry Farm Elementary School to Falmouth Kennedi Triplett, an 11th–grader at Colonial Forge High School, stacks boxes filled with plastic pouches of dried foodstuffs for Stop Hunger Now, at Elementary School. The redistricting the seventh annual Agents of Change Day on Saturday morning at the school. For more from the event, see page 6. would alleviate current long bus rides ALEKS DOLZENKO| STAFFORD COUNTY SUN for those students, the school board said. “We’re talking about 45 kids who need a better solution from us,” said school board member Dewayne McOsker, George Washington District. ■ heard a presentation that included a discussion surrounding the addition to reconcile budgeted amounts with before we received this report’s findings,” TRACY BELL of centrally managed student email Stafford County Sun Benson said. actual expenditures. accounts in the schools. In the last nine months, correc“Our commitment is to improve The Stafford County School Board has ■ authorized the release of an interim transparency with our community and tive measures were taken, according released results from an interim forensic report of the school board-authorized to Benson. Manor once served as the center of a 1,000-acre ensure their trust in us toEvergreen be good stewfinancial audit report for fiscal 2013 that forensic audit for Fiscal 2013 and the plantation said near haymarket, and in disrepair for They included converting budget ards of taxpayer dollars,” school but sat abandoned outlines irregularities in how the school preparation of an additional audit decades. Local builder Mike Garcia donated $25,000, his time and board Chairwoman Holly Hazard. development spreadsheets from Lotus system processed budget adjustments. resources to rebuild the 190-year-old home. SuBMittED report for fiscal 2014. The amount “We welcome the continued scrutiny to Excel to ensure data control, integrity On Tuesday at a school board meeting, to provide any additional information and security; realigning responsibilities utilized is not to exceed $75,000, the the board authorized completion of the that may be helpful to improve our for accounting, budget, grants, payroll school board said. WhEn: From 11 a.m. to 2 fiscal 2013 review and a continuation of budgeting practices.” Want to go? ■ discussed principals’ ideas on alignand purchasing functions to ensure a p.m. april 23 and 11 a.m. the audit report for fiscal 2014. ment of school schedules that will serve multi-point review; increased detail, Stafford County Public What:Schools an open Superhouse to 5 p.m. april 24 utility of monthly and The audit was necessitated after the intendent Bruce Benson called it an timeliness to increase opportunities for students. and for the restoration of board found $8.3 million in extra funds unfortunate situation but said that an quarterly The school board also heard financial statements and issuMorE inForMation: visit Evergreen Manor last year. about options for language BOC on a timely basis; implementing a investigation began once school staff ance evergreenmanorhouse. PAGE 9 WhErE: at 15900 Berkeley The report identifies a number of learned of the irregularities classes in the middle schools, review of contracted positions the end of quarterly org or innatevergreen. manor Drive, haymarket concerning budget and budget adjust- last June. and paGe 3 comthe calculation of contracted salary ment practices in fiscal 2013, according “…This report confirms our early find- and benefits lapses. to a school division press release, ings that something was not quite right Other steps taken, according to including many budget adjustments with how we had been processing budget the school division, included reconaffecting numerous accounts, inaccurate adjustments, so we took proactive steps ciled and analyzed funds AUDIT quarterly reports, redirection of funds in to put in tighter controls around our received and unspent at the 8 57144 00401 8 PAGE 9 personnel and benefit lines, and a failure budget and financial processes even fiscal year’s end; a reduced
Audit report confirms questionable budget practices
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